After
seeing Collared Kingfisher, a bird restricted to the mangrove patches in the
southwest of the Kingdom, at Al Qahma and Either Mangroves, I decided to go
north past Al Birk and look at a site near Amaq. Here there are two large
lagoons surrounded by mangroves and both looked good for the species. One
lagoon is south of Amaq and the other north and both sites held birds with a
minimum of two seen at each location. Although the species is restricted in habitat
and area of Saudi Aramco they appear plentiful in the area they do occur in
which is great news. Most birders go the the same couple of sites to see the
species and this two new sites plus Either Mangorves have extended the species
range and known locations. The northern site is fenced off and no access is
currently possible from the main road, but if you backtrack to the south lagoon
and use the coastguard track you can enter the location through an open gate
into the fenced area. The locations also held a few Greater Flamingos,
Pink-backed Pelicans and various waders including Crab Plover, Lesser Sand
Plovers and Common Redshanks. Terns seen included Caspian Terns, Gull-billed
Terns, Lesser Crested Terns and two Swift Terns.
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| Collared Kingfisher |
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| Collared Kingfisher |
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| Collared Kingfisher |
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| Collared Kingfisher |
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| Greater Flamingo |
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| Lesser Crested Tern |
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| Pink-backed Pelican |